Chiribaya Dog Rituals

This yellow sheep dog may be a descendant of the Chiribaya dog of Pre-Columbian Peru/Chile. A Peruvian researcher and bio archeologist, Sonia Guillen, suggested the lineal relationship. She noted similarities between this dog and mummified specimens found in Chiribaya burial sites. Genetic studies have yet to determine if the sheep dog is a direct descendant of the Chiribaya dog. Photo credit: Yaymmie. Used under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Wikimedia Commons.

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"It's a dog's life." The expression is generally taken to mean that life is a miserable bargain people have to endure. However, if you were living in the coastal region of southern Peru and northern Chile in the year 1200, you might have a different interpretation of this statement. The Chiribaya people, who resided in the region at this time, regarded dogs as important members of the community. In Chiribaya burial sites, archeologists have found the remains of dogs that were lovingly interred. The dogs were wrapped in blankets and sent into the hereafter with a food supply. More than that, the dogs were not buried by themselves, but were entombed with the remains of family members.

Pottery from the Chiribaya culture, on display in the Arica Museum, Chile. The picture was taken by Lexson Scheppa, who has released the image into the public domain. Wikipedia.

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Chiribaya dogs have become famous because a significant number of these animals have been discovered, and also because their remains are in such good condition. It seems the desert environment in which they were interred led to the animals' mummification.

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Photo credit: World Wide Gifts from Las Vegas, United States. Used under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. Wikipedia.

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The two pictures, the one above and the one below, illustrate the unique environment in which the Chiribaya culture flourished. The picture above shows the Desert of Paracas, which is barren and virtually without rainfall. The picture below shows an oasis, called a Loma. The Lomas gain moisture only from condensation, not rainfall. Note the dense fog in the picture. The Chiribaya settled on these patches of fertile land and farmed them.

Picture credit: Dr. Luis Balaguer. Used under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Wikipedia.

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Who were the Chiribaya? It is estimated their culture existed approximately from 700 A. D. until the Spanish conquest in the sixteenth century. Their economy was organized vertically: there was differentiation of function depending on where segments of the population lived. Mountainous regions, on top of the vertical structure, colonized the lower regions. The lower regions consisted of a coastal area, which supplied fish and, higher up, an agricultural region, where foodstuffs were produced. Camelids were shepherded in both lower regions. There was active trade between the regions, so that each benefited from the enterprise of the other.

The apex of Chiribaya culture, it is believed, was between 1000 and 1360 AD. It is surmised that a flooding event precipitated the culture's sudden decline. The event demolished a significant irrigation system and drove the population from the lower regions.

Dogs, it is believed, were highly valued partly because they were essential to llama herding. They were partners in work and companions in life. Interestingly, llamas are indigenous to South America. It is believed that camelids in other parts of the world are descended from the South American llama.

The Peruvian Hairless Dog. This dog is also known as the Peruvian Inca Orchid. Despite the name, the dog had origins in Peru that pre-dated the Inca. Picture credit: Hookery=Yuri Hooker. Used under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Wikimedia Commons.

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The Chiribaya treatment of dogs differed from that of other South American cultures. Inca burial grounds, for example, show evidence of dogs sacrificed for burial with their warrior owners. In these cases, the dogs met with violent deaths and either had their throats slit or were strangled.